RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The current nosological classifications may describe a syndrome of "alcoholism" that is too heterogeneous to produce prognostic models for clinical management. Multidimensional alcoholism typologies (ATs) could represent a valuable paradigm in the search for targeted treatment. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical implications of 3 empirically-validated ATs, focusing on various measures of clinical performance. METHOD: This was a 3-month naturalistic study in which drinking status, and participation in the clinical protocol and group psychotherapy were recorded and used as indicators of treatment performance. The clinical profiles of the subtypes were also compared and graphically presented. Alcohol-dependent outpatients were classified according to the Cloninger, Lesch, and NETER typologies. RESULTS: The results showed that the type II (Cloninger), type IV (Lesch), and sociopathic and addictopathic (NETER) subgroups showed a worse outcome in terms of abstinence rates and clinical healthcare resource use. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings point to the need to differentiate multidimensional alcoholism subtypes before planning the clinical management of alcohol use disorders.
Asunto(s)
Trastornos Relacionados con Alcohol/clasificación , Trastornos Relacionados con Alcohol/terapia , Evaluación de Resultado en la Atención de Salud , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pacientes Ambulatorios , Estudios Prospectivos , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The relationship between cyclothymic temperament and alcoholism remains insufficiently explored. METHODS: A sample of 125 alcohol-dependent patients diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria (APA, 2000) was recruited from a clinical setting. Cyclothymic temperament was diagnosed according to the Portuguese version of the Akiskal and Akiskal (2005) temperament scale. RESULTS: Alcohol dependent patients who score positive (above mean) for CT present to some extent a more severe profile of alcohol-related problems. LIMITATIONS: Correlational study CONCLUSIONS: CT traits in alcohol dependents seems to influence whether subjects engage earlier in pathological alcohol use and present particular alcohol-related problems, in particular Cloninger type II alcoholism phenotype.